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Mekies tempers Red Bull expectations despite Miami GP ‘season reboot’

by sports••0
Mekies tempers Red Bull expectations despite Miami GP ‘season reboot’
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has said the upcoming Miami GP represents a “reboot for the season” following a poor opening three races in 2026. However, the French boss has tempered expectations that the team will have fixed all of their early issues.

Red Bull have started the 2026 season on the back foot, debuting a Ford-backed powertrain the team’s main issues actually lie with the balance of their RB22, a car Verstappen labelled “completely undriveable” during a point-less Chinese GP weekend.

A poor set of results in the opening three rounds sees Red Bull sat in P6 in the Constructors’, behind Haas and Alpine, while drivers Verstappen and Isack Hadjar are currently placed P9 and P12, respectively.

Following the five-week break enforced due to the US-Iran conflict, teams have had the time to develop and refine the complicated 2026 cars, and will also have the added variables of recent tweaks to the new rules set to be introduced at Miami.

Red Bull are no different, with Mekies saying the team have been working “flat out” on improving both their chassis and PU, with the aim of delivering a “more comfortable” car for Verstappen and Hadjar to push with.

Mekies tempers expectations despite ‘season reboot’ in Miami

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

In a Red Bull press release, Mekies said: “Everyone at Oracle Red Bull Racing is excited to be going racing again after the enforced break.
“There is no denying that these past few weeks have proved useful for teams, the FIA and Formula 1: for the teams to further develop these very new cars and for all three parties to work together to fine tune the regulations based on learnings from the first three Grands Prix.”

The Red Bull boss focused on the ‘season reboot’ at Miami with a degree of optimism, highlighting both Verstappen and Hadjar’s role during the five-week hiatus, but wary that rivals will also have had the time to develop more competitive 2026 challengers.

Mekies continued: “Effectively, Miami will be a reboot for the season, after this unexpected and exceptionally long hiatus.

“As for ourselves, everyone has been working flat out in Milton Keynes on the Chassis side and PU side, with Max and Isack also involved.

“We do not expect to have solved all our issues in one go, however we certainly aim to give Max and Isack a car they will feel more comfortable to push with. Ultimately only the Miami track will reveal the answer to how good a job we have done and how much we still need to find.”

Mekies concluded with a special nod to the Miami GP as the first American race for the new Red Bull Ford power unit partnership.

“The Miami GP is also the first of three races to be held in the USA this season and is therefore a significant moment for us, as Red Bull Ford Powertrains makes its North American debut.“